Yahoo Sports: Day 1 Winners and Losers (Redskins)

Day 1's winners and losers
By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports
April 29, 2006

Charles Robinson
Yahoo! Sports Exclusive
More Robinson – Analysis of first two rounds

NEW YORK – Rarely does one draft pick represent both a big win and a big loss, but the Houston Texans and Mario Williams have landed in that awkward intersection.

Williams scored big Saturday, unseating Southern Cal's Reggie Bush as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft – a feat that most deemed unimaginable only a few days ago. At the same time, the Texans suffered a public relations loss, walking away from both Bush and Texas' Vince Young, the two most dynamic and electrifying players in college football last season.

It was said that Houston could pass on Young or Bush, but certainly not both. And yet, that's exactly what the Texans did.

"Vince Young was very popular in Houston and Reggie Bush is, too," Texans owner Bob McNair said Saturday. "So you know, it was a tough choice."

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It's one that McNair will have to explain in the coming days to Houston's fan base. It's also a decision he will have to repeatedly defend if Bush or Young continue to star in NFL highlight reels. Selling tickets for a 2-14 team is tough enough, but it's even more difficult to urge patience when that same team passes on players that need only to suit up to excite the locals.

Fans believe Reggie Bush could do that. They know Vince Young could, too. What about Mario Williams, he of raw talent and unpolished skills? His selection doesn't exactly elicit faith that last season's futility hasn't spilled into the offseason, too.

"I realize [the frustration] and I think that's going to be a temporary situation," McNair said. "It's up to us to go out and win football games. We win football games, and they are going to say, 'You made the right decision.' If we don't win football games, they say, 'You're stupid.' "

Therein lies the reality. For now, Williams walks into Houston in triumph and McNair returns in public relations defeat. Whether it stays that way has everything to do with the 2006 wins and losses that have yet to be counted.

Here are some other winners and losers on the draft's first day:

THE WINNERS

Arizona Cardinals – It may not translate onto the field, but Dennis Green sure has a way of looking great on draft day. After landing what was thought to be one of the best draft classes last season, Green shot to the top of the charts again this year. Not only did he land Mr. Golden Boy, Matt Leinart, but he also added massive guard Deuce Lutui in the second. For good measure, he pounced on Leonard Pope in the third round – a player some teams had rated as the No. 1 tight end.

Green Bay Packers – The Packers needed an infusion of talent, and just by sheer bulk alone, they may have had the best first day of the draft. Selecting five players in the first 75 picks is always a nice luxury, and Green Bay picked up some quality talent. The Packers added two of the best linebackers in the country in A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge to their porous defense, then accentuated their first-day picks with some lesser-known talent like Daryn Colledge, Greg Jennings and Jason Spitz – three players who could all contribute as early as next season either as starters or special-teams players.

Tennessee Titans – From a ticket standpoint, the Titans landed marketing whoppers with their lone pair of picks on Day 1. Watch reruns of the national championship game between USC and Texas, and you'll see why it's going to be so easy to sell Vince Young and LenDale White to the fan base. And getting White in the second round – despite all of his issues – is a steal.

Ohio State – Unlike USC, the Buckeyes' prospects realized all of their pre-draft hype. Ohio State placed five players in the first round – including two in the top eight picks – and had seven drafted on the first day alone. By the time it's all said and done, 10 Ohio State players could be chosen in this draft.

Atlantic Coast Conference – The ACC dominated the first round, with a staggering 12 selections. That's a draft record for a conference. The impressive lineup included four players from Florida State and three from North Carolina State, including the overall No. 1 pick in Williams. Even Miami squeaked out another first-round pick (Kelly Jennings to Seattle at No. 31) to extend its streak of first-rounders to 12 consecutive years.

Philadelphia Eagles – There's nothing like standing pat and striking it rich. The Eagles considered trading up from No. 14 overall and trying to snag one of two players – Florida State's Brodrick Bunkley or USC's Winston Justice. Instead, the Eagles waited patiently in the first round and Bunkley slid to them … and then watched Justice fall just far enough for them to trade up to the 39th overall pick and get him, too. It was an amazing coup that probably had Andy Reid wetting his pants. He got not one but two linemen with first-round ratings.

Defensive backs – A strong class of players always gets swept up in the first round, and the defensive backs have continued the trend of the last few years by landing a large crop in the first 32 choices. This year, 10 first-round picks were lavished on players in the secondary.

Donte Whitner – If you want the draft's biggest winner, it has to be Whitner. When Ohio State's season ended, the safety was considered a borderline first-round pick. By the time he had gone through the combine, pro day and personal workouts, he'd caught the eye of the Bills, jumping all the way to No. 8 overall. With his hard work in the last four months, he earned himself somewhere around an extra $6 million to $8 million in guaranteed money.

New England Patriots – Yes, the Patriots need a shot of defensive talent. But it's hard to knock them spending their first two picks on the likes of Minnesota's Laurence Maroney and Florida's Chad Jackson. Maroney becomes the heir apparent to a slowing Corey Dillon, and the blazing Jackson – a big wideout with a first-round grade – somehow fell to them in the second round. The skill positions have been replenished nicely.

THE LOSERS

USC – It's been a rough few days for the Trojans. First, they had a shadow cast over them by the Reggie Bush investigation and Mark Sanchez arrest. Then, on what was expected to be the shining day for their pro prospects, disaster struck. Bush lost what seemed to be a hammerlock on the first overall pick and Leinart slid all the way to No. 10. But the real smack in the face came when both White and Justice plummeted to the second round because of character concerns. And did we mention that Darnell Bing wasn't drafted on the first day?

Wide receiver crop – The talk that the top receivers had bolstered their status over the last few months turned out to be hype. Santonio Holmes tumbled to the 25th pick and Jackson – thought to be top-20 material – fell into the second round. We should have stuck with our assessment that we had going into the combine: This was a truly crummy receiving class.

LenDale White – Talk about rolling downhill after your star moment. White reached his apex in the Rose Bowl, then plummeted down the side of a mountain without brakes. He showed up overweight at the combine, followed that up with a horrific pro day, then had a report of a failed drug test surface the week of the draft. When his downward spiral came to a rest, White had gone from top-10 material to the 45th overall pick. For those who are counting, that's a loss of about $8 million in guaranteed money.

Winston Justice – It was hard to figure out how Justice went from being a potential top 10 to 15 pick to falling into the second round, particularly after having such an impressive pro day. The buzz on Saturday was that teams weren't sold on Justice's character, stemming from his year-long suspension in 2004.

Kurt Warner – How many times is Warner going to get nailed by the youth movement? First, he got toppled by Marc Bulger in St. Louis, then he had to go through the dread and awkwardness of the Eli Manning experience in New York. And just when it looked like he had found some solid ground in Arizona, Leinart arrives. In a perfect society, Leinart will have to wait his turn, but we know people will ask questions about starting Leinart right away. Maybe Leinart's rookie season will go down like Carson Palmer's first year when he warmed the bench in Cincinnati. But for Warner, it's more likely to be flashbacks of New York.

Ashley Lelie – Javon Walker is coming to town. So much for Lelie's shot at the No. 1 wide receiver job.

Washington Redskins – The Redskins traded three draft picks – including their second-rounder in 2007 – to move up 18 spots and draft Roger McIntosh in the second round. This is supposed to soothe the pain of letting LaVar Arrington go. We'll see.

The Redskins targeted a player... made the move for equal value and pulled the trigger.

I hardly call that losing at this stage.

Except nobody else had McIntosh rated nearly that high... and of course, now you guys have already started giving away NEXT year's draft picks...

McIntosh isn't a bad player, mind you, in fact he's the kind of smallish but swift linebacker that does well in Gregg Williams' schemes (I think Thomas Howard would have been a better choice, though)... but that's all you guys have to show for players rated in the top 150, and that just ain't enough...

Except nobody else had McIntosh rated nearly that high... and of course, now you guys have already started giving away NEXT year's draft picks...

McIntosh isn't a bad player, mind you, in fact he's the kind of smallish but swift linebacker that does well in Gregg Williams' schemes (I think Thomas Howard would have been a better choice, though)... but that's all you guys have to show for players rated in the top 150, and that just ain't enough...

I think Portis and Moss made the pick. Funny thing to me is that he always played like Lavar. Basically... in moments. Grrrr...

Looking at the draft choices the Cowboys have made THIS year, seems like their value isnt really worth that much outside of the first round. Then again they traded down for Jones in past years.

:shoot4: Don't even try to defend this move! Stupid, moronic, idiotic, are just a few adjectives I'd use to describe this move today! And I like the Redskins, so don't even try to defend this move. Its time for Danny to smarten up and not give up so much for so little.........I knew the Skins would move up, but to give up the farm for a little goat is ridiculous!!!!!! Even if he's halfway decent, he's still not worth giving up the farm for.

As for the Cowboys, well, I knew they were going to go for Carpenter if he was there. That guy had Bill Parcells stamped on his forehead, weeks before the draft. The other two picks I couldn't see coming if I had night vision, a magnifying glass, or a time machine. On the surface, these picks look dubious, considering our needs vs the Cowboys view of BPA.......Based on that I'd give this draft an early grade of B-. Today may raise it or lower it.

I, for one didn't see where the Cowboys were going after that first pick. I felt like I was lost in a blizzard there. But the Cowboys have added picks by trading down appropriately, and have a plan even if I can't discern it.....

I don't know much about "Hatchet", but that guy is monstrous looking! Paul Bunyan comes immediately to mind as I see pictures of him! If he even half way pans out, he'll do considerable damage. If he completely exceeds all expectations, he'll destroy everyone in his path, and the Dallas Defense will probably wind up being the best defense in the NFL, and maybe the best ever. Parcells reminds me of General Patton with his drafting moves on the defensive side; very precise, very strategic, and heavy on the armour and artillery. A Juggernaut......

Offensively, if Fasano is the snot kicker Jaws describes he is, well, all I can say is, lookout opposing defenses. I'd like to see him build the OL up as he's done the DL, but maybe today we'll see some more of that; or else, :shoot4:

But it is a mystery to me why a team like the Redskins continually discounts the draft by trading away draft picks. You build your team through the draft and fill holes in free agency. The Redskins do this in reverse. Giving away draft picks is never a good idea.

Gfunk, I am no Redskins fan, but I think that Snyder has done an amazing job of handling FA contracts. No one in the NFL does it as well as he does. He has assembled what is one of the league's top coaching staffs.

All of that being said, it seems impossible in today's salary capped NFL to win without a lot of good young talent on a team. There is not enough money to pay quality FA veterans at every position. The draft is how teams stockpile young and inexpensive talent to support the selected FA players. The Redskins seem determined to prove that whole philosophy wrong. I don't believe they can do it, but we all get to see the results.

:shoot4: Don't even try to defend this move! Stupid, moronic, idiotic, are just a few adjectives I'd use to describe this move today! And I like the Redskins, so don't even try to defend this move. Its time for Danny to smarten up and not give up so much for so little.........I knew the Skins would move up, but to give up the farm for a little goat is ridiculous!!!!!! Even if he's halfway decent, he's still not worth giving up the farm for.

they didnt 'give up the farm'. check out the draft number rankings. its virtually even, with the skins getting over by 10 points.

The guy that the skins got may be a decent player, but the fact is they would have likely been able to get him much later than when they did. At least we didnt reach like that for our picks, we just drafted guys at positions where we didn't really need help.

But with guys like Ko Simpson on the board in round 4 (what the hell?), maybe it will all work out in the end.

I hope the Redskins keep giving away their draft picks. They keep signing veterans with no thoughts of building their team with young draft picks. Clearly, it is working well for them......when was their last Super Bowl?

I hope the Redskins keep giving away their draft picks. They keep signing veterans with no thoughts of building their team with young draft picks. Clearly, it is working well for them......when was their last Super Bowl?

that's a silly yardstick for *us* to be using after a decade of not sniffing the playoffs much.

It really doesn't matter where mock drafts of people who are no more qualified to make executive decisions than you or me, place these players. Obviously, the Skins had McIntosh higher on their draft board than some other people. You never know, if they'd stood pat he could've been gone. I'd say the Skins draft board is more accurate in where a player should possibly go than these mediots who pretend they know what they're talking about.

I didn't like giving up the second round pick in 2007. I thought that was unnecessary, and they should've tried to move up with someone else. Yet as far as where McIntosh should've gone, that is just someone's un-qualified opinion.